Wednesday, August 3, 2011

To the Future!

So holy shit, first a bit about the past.

About a week after my last blog, the company that I came out to CO to work for ceased to be as it was. Which, apparently it wasn't at all. Doing my taxes next year will be fun without the W2 for the company that apparently didn't exist. Mmmm Extortion. They's gonna get it.

So, with a bit of a shift in the house, as my former boss, & former sales manages broke up, & the ex-boss apparently quitting the budding friendship that we'd had,(and essentially abandoning the person she convinced to move across the country to follow her broken dreams) & so again I was left to my own devices.

Which would have totally sucked if it weren't for the boy who decided to (sort of) sweep me off my feet in a whirlwind kidnapping that ended up lasting just a bit too long for both of our tempers. It was quite lovely though. Nothing like a sushi date by the river in the mountains.. Hah. that was just day one. I ended up spending most of the subsequent weeks with him, helping him out with his business, & just trying to figure my own shit out in my spare time. Knowing what my situation was like at home, he had the genius idea to take me along to California with him. Which was pretty damned amazing(albeit stressful spending 24/7 with someone while still very much getting to know them and their quirks, while not being able to medicate on the drive to & from CA).

Got to go to an impromptu Primus show at a random fest out there, met Matt Rize (one of the top hash artists in my opinion) who was super hospitable to us. Got to go out to the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, which was pretty great, yet made me seriously lament all of the fantastic east coast fests that I'm missing out on this year(especially anything up at Harry's Hill) Got to check out Mutiny Radio out of San Fran while the High Times judges for the cup were checking in.

& then of course is the 2011 San Fran High Times Cup where I had the pleasure of chilling on the couch in the Steep Hill Labs tent during the hottest hours of awesomeness..

It was also at that event I had the absolute joy and pleasure of meeting Michelle & Michael Aldrich. They were the recipients of the Dr. Lester Grinspoon Lifetime Achievement Award. I was lucky enough to meet them prior to this honor backstage on Saturday night. I happened to have some Jack hash that was generously given to me by a friend, & a brand new sherlock that the nice boy who brought me out there had purchased for me on the Haight(as I had yet to start rolling doobies at the time), so I offered to smoke them of course! (How else could I weasel my way into their intelligent conversation?) I told them the story of the pipe, and the hash.. & Michael giggled and told me a story about how he introduced Jack Herer(the weed strain used to make my hash was named after him for you who aren't aware) to the uses of hemp besides getting high!

What luck and irony for me. But. Nothing happens by coincidence. I'm now writing(trying to) an article on Michael and his beautiful wife Michelle, and how they were awarded the LIA at the Cup. My genius idea, of course. Take on a project when I'm completely unsure of my literary skills where actual writing that people will see is concerned.

But they deserve it. The world needs to know who the Aldrich's are, and what they have so painstakingly contributed over the years. I was stoked to see they are on Skunk Magazine's Top Activists list. I hope in the future, someone will see their names on that list, google them, & my article about them will come up.(that would be NEAT)

I love Michael and Michelle Aldrich and am blessed and humbled to know of them and have lived in the wake of their many works. (who of you has ever been to a free clinic? one thing of many they have helped contribute to our generation) I just hope that my article will do them justice.

I also met that same night a girl who was initially unsure about showing up at all to the show.. She wasn't with friends, & didn't really know anyone there.. We have the same middle name ;)

Apparently though she decided that she was gonna get dolled up, go out, have a good time, and meet someone new. Hi. that was me. :) Since then, I've edited her children's book about bugs, and she's made me my business cards.

Honest Eyes Editorial Services at your service.

Hey, look ma, I'm professionalish.

Well, anywho. Now I'm back in the Fort. Broke.. "Job"less..Penniless(literally spent the last of my money on this months rent and food to get me through most/some of it. Fucked for next month & any of this months bills) But I've got all this stuff going on. Not to mention my work with Rick Cusick. Which is The Real Deal. and, my Next Step. Something I Want To Do.

I'm still projecting Positivity and Love and Light in regards to this. I'm very much looking to be moving back East Coasterly to be more connected to my work with him and it's shifting parameters. (still, logistically unsure of how this will happen, but, I will put whatever Faith and Hard Work I have to in, in order to get there)

I'm hoping this will all go down before September is out. Praying even, as I will be essentially up shit's creek otherwise. (please add your own hopes and prayers for me as well. I needs them) But that is up to the Universe to work out.

Other than that.. My body hurts. I need to do more yoga. As in any. Damn my lack of self-discipline. Oh, and more hooping, and more poi. Although I did figure out the one hooptrick where if you're hooping to the left you pick up the hoop above your head with your left hand in front.. Still working on everything else(hmm. got a bit of neckhooping in too.. without messing up the dropdown too badly)

OH holy shit. How could I forget the ridiculous trip home to MA??? (I think it's cuz I was trying to go chronologically again and fucked myself all up) Holy wowzapants.

It started with a lovely day of a Big Beef 3way, breakfast with my Fred, Dr/Dentist appointments, drive-by hugging my bestie(and a D, nothing is coincidence. I was supposed to see you buddy <3 ) & a contented evening down the Salem Willows with my grandparents. THEN Friday morning came -and might I remind everyone that I was with my grandparents SOBERLY the day prior- with my grandfather asking about breakfast. Well, my stomach did a flip, I choked down some yogurt, and made a break for The Boston Pot Report, where I knew SOMEone could ease my nausea with some beautiful green medicine. But alas, twas a slow day on the Report, and it took a few hours for my needs to be fully satisfied. But was given an awesome little present by someone who I'm still getting to know to get me through the weekend(on his break too no less) & tricked by a beautiful Brooke with some flowers and love An amazing show on "family" to come home to. & then to Miss Micaela's house! (she totally just IM'd me about how she loved me, RIGHT as I was thinking about this next section) SO, Miss Jackie, Miss Micaela & I tralala'd our way to CaelaManor so she could prepare herself for the evenings engagement. Soon after our handsome Knight swept us off to the packie(IT'S A FUCKIN LIQUOR STORE, why do people always lookit me funny when I say packie?) & then away again to the night's main event at casa de Bill. Bill's was rampant with artists and art and people and love and surprises and happy tears(on my part, and maybe on Jaime's a bit) Neurological Damage as usual, blew my mind with their awesomeness, and some new songs I can't wait to experience again(lovelovelove the inspired by Pickel's sex song), The Light's Out literally had the lights go out while rockin the house, and The Few took us right on into morning shaking our butts and sweatin' em off..

I was happy to have brought some old friends together that night(much to their surprise) and very much happily surprised to see someone who told me they weren't going to show even if they didn't stay all night *purr*

Having left my bag at Bill's like a fool in the wee hours of the morn, I had to have a sweet HoneyBee bring me back into Allston Saturday morning.. Missing out on breakfast with a Mandu(sad, wth) But, breakfast was saved by Mildred's where I was joined by more loving friends. Then back to my old people's to wash my sweaty ladybits before presenting myself at the Abbot Library in Marblehead for my lovely friend Danielle Dugan's art gallery exhibit. to see her awesome work, click here

A few hours spent in the grass in Salem, then back to the Bean for Sarah Sparks' Birthday celebrations(you kids, you really drink too much sometimes, and that worries me. That is all I will say about that) where I got to see one of my favorite drummers, and again, The Few. Magically there was this chaise lounge, where I got to spend the remainder of my evening a'snuggling with my dearest Lilith Astaroth. Who I cannot stop myself from loving oh, so much(nor would I really want to stop)

Back to the playhouse to crash unceremoniously for the second night on the couch after a late night psuedosatisfactory meal from Deb's... To awaken for a glorious day at the beach. Damn do I love me some beach. However next time, I will be sure to give my friends detailed instructions as to how to get to that awesomely perfect spot we like to call home on Salisbury Beach. hopefully you can see the pictures on this page.

Sunday night brought me back to the playhouse exhausted. Met up with a good friend & went for a burn cruise up 127.. Mmmm nice.

Monday was almost a failure as it rained on my 'sleeping in the grass in the Commons, come find me' parade. Got my mandatory Red's Breakfast in, got my Front Street Coffeehouse in(the owner makes a killer salad-my way of course), & by the time Nino was getting out of work, my body was literally shutting down. So instead of spending the next few hours before dinner with friends, I spent them crankily napping in a hot living room while my phone blew up all over the place.. BUT I got to have dinner with 5 of my beloved peoples... at the Willows! & Finally back to my grandparent's to rest up & say goodbye to my Nonnie in the morning(she'd have been pissed if I hadn't, she'd never let on that she would be.. But I know it)

All in all it was just super awesome.

I'm a little hurt that certain people made no kind of effort to be involved in my visit, or to contact me at all.. But that pain is somewhat paled by the love that I most certainly did receive. It is an amazing thing that SO many people put effort into the events, & just showing up to hug me. Just out of love.

It is heartwarming that so many people care about lil' ol' me.. I've been in some down places, and it means more than y'all know that I have SO much love coming out of the place that will forever feel like home. I wish I could be there rocking out with all of you every chance I got.

& Jersey is a hell of a lot closer than Colorado. So we'll see Boston. I'll be back up in you before you know it.

Someday, I'm going to miss the hell out of Colorado and the people in it that I've met. I hope that I get to return to CO with some modicum of the love that I returned to in Boston. I hope that I've made enough of a positive mark in you that you remember me fondly, and often.

Ooh oooooh. I was also just offered a SWEET proposal. My editing skills in exchange for a course in herbs that was my only other viable option last year while deciding whether or not to move out to CO.. Unfortunately last year I couldn't afford it. This year, my skills will do that for me. I'm just hoping that it will mesh easily with the work that I have coming up with Rick. I can multitask like nobodies business, but who knows if the schedules will blend easily. I sure hope they do!! Serious interest in the subject matter!!

But for now, effort, faith, and patience. Good Things will happen. I'm going to be there when they do.

Also, I want to put positive vibes out there for my mom. I LOVE YOU. I couldn't have survived without you. (& to all the people out there seriously struggling in the day to day. Keep your heads up, keep evolving, keep fighting for what you believe in.)